PUBLIC INTERNET HAS A MEANS TO DEEPENING INTERNET PENETRATION IN NIGERIA

According to the United Nations, Internet access is a human right and ubiquitous broadband has been linked to growth in gross domestic product (GDP).

And this is evident in its increasing contribution to the GDP of many developed and developing nations around the world. In Nigeria, the information and communications technology (ICT) sector is said to contribute to 13.8% of the country’s GDP, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Despite this feat, and the supposed consistent increase in the number of Internet users to 120 million in 2019, the Nigerian Internet market is still largely immature.
This can be attributed to the fact that many Nigerians still do not have access to the Internet for various reasons ranging from affordability to a lack of adequate broadband infrastructure, and language barriers, among others.

Public Internet Access has a means to deepening Internet penetration in Nigeria
Lagos has been at the forefront of free public Internet access in Nigeria, with the state government and private companies establishing both free and subsidised public WiFi initiatives across the city.

In the past two years, the Lagos state government has launched a free public WiFi in various parks across the city with the promise of extending it to more parks, public schools, and bus terminals.

Similarly, private local and international companies like Flobyt, Swift Network (Red Cheetah), Facebook, and Google have also launched their free and subsidised (in the case of Facebook Express WiFi) public Internet services in Lagos and a few other states across Nigeria.

The increasing number of these free public WiFi initiatives across the country has prompted the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to come up with a regulatory framework (pdf) for providers of public Internet access services.

In schools, students use the available free public access for assignments, reading materials, and school projects.

In malls and marketplaces, business owners take advantage of free WiFi to optimise their business operations, access their accounts online, and receive payments. People visit parks with free WiFi to surf the Internet. And businesses provide free Internet access to attract new customers.

“As new or occasional users become more familiar and comfortable with the digital world, they tend to want to visit it more often. Many who may first connect through public access will ultimately shift some of their use toward traditional commercial services for the convenience of personal, non-public access. Hence, public access can help grow the overall commercial market.”

With free Internet access only available to people in the urban areas, people who live in rural and low-income communities are still disadvantaged as a result of low broadband penetration.